


i love your daughter, may i continue?

by whatsanaccounttoagod



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alcohol, Alcoholic Tony Stark, Bisexual Tony Stark, F/M, Family, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Marriage Proposal, Not Canon Compliant, Referenced/Implied Polyamory, courting, god why does my boy suffer so much, or pan but damn he's not straight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 10:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16094207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatsanaccounttoagod/pseuds/whatsanaccounttoagod
Summary: "I haven't asked your father if I could court you."





	i love your daughter, may i continue?

**Author's Note:**

> UGHHHHH I NEED MY OLD-FASHIONED TONY BECAUSE WE KNOW DAMN WELL THE LAST PERSON WHOSE PARENTS HE COULD ASK PERMISSION TO DATE WERE PROBABLY NOBODY'S BUT IM GOING TO PRETEND THEY WERE RHODEY'S AND RHODEY HAD TO SPEND WEEKS CONVINCING TONY TO DISOBEY HIS PARENTS' WISHES
> 
> that being said i didn't tag it since it's just mentioned but there's mentioned iron-husbands so like. if you aren't okay with that don't read.
> 
> tw: alcohol/alcohol abuse

No one dared mention to Tony he was old-fashioned. Sure, he revolutionized clean energy, regularly supplied homes with the newest technology, and occasionally synthesized new elements, but in certain ways, he was more traditional than most.

"Pepper, would you be upset if I asked to meet your family?"

She paused. "No, but why?"

He toyed with the cuff of his suit. "I haven't asked your father if I could court you."

"You didn't ask anyone  _ else's _ father if you could court them," she pointed out.

"Not that you know of."

"...Have you even had a girlfriend before?"

"Oh, would you look at the time! I really ought to get to bed-"

Pepper stopped him and chuckled. "What are you hiding?"

He bit his lip. "I haven't had a  _ girlfriend _ before…"

"Oh." Now that she thought about it, she wasn't really surprised. After all, most straight men didn't blatantly flirt with their best friends, and especially not best friends who were also men. "So that's why you and Rhodey are always flirting."

Tony didn't blush for everyone, but  _ man, _ did he blush. If the hand he immediately shoved in front of his grin was any indication, he was also aware of this fact. "Oh, my God, you didn't know?"

"Wait, you two are  _ actually _ dating?"

"I'm sorry. I really should've made sure you knew-"

"It's fine, Tony." Pepper smiled. "It happens to the best of us, right?"

The red finally disappeared from his face. "Same hat?"

"Same hat." She watched him relax. "So how does dinner sound?"

"Dinner. Great. When?"

"Does this weekend work?"

Tony nodded and bounced his leg. "Perfect."

* * *

 

It wasn't perfect.

Tony raised his hand to ring the doorbell and paused. Pepper didn't come from a rich family, but they seemed like they lived well. A guest house sat just inside a small wooded area, and the main house was large and well-maintained. The gardens were overflowing with flowers, though he could only identify a handful. Wind chimes, birdhouses, and other decorations were placed tastefully throughout the yard.

Pepper nudged his arm and smiled. "It's going to be fine, Tony. They'll love you."

He took a deep breath and nodded before pressing the doorbell. Almost immediately, Mrs. Potts answered and welcomed the pair in.

"Would you like something to drink?" she offered.

Tony barely managed to squeak out, "Water, please," in his nervous state. God, it'd been so long since he'd done this. Even if they were conservative like Rhodey's parents, at least now he was asking for a girl… right? They wouldn't be disgusted by him. Right. He was Tony Stark. He could give Pepper the world. What parent would say no to that?

Pepper rested her hand on his left wrist. He glanced down, only then noticing his trembling arm. He smiled shakily but genuinely at the beautiful woman beside him.

"It's going to be fine, Tony," she reassured.

Mrs. Potts arrived back with water and a tray of cookies. Pepper helped herself, and Tony sipped his drink gratefully. Apparently, stress makes you thirsty. Wow. Who would've known? Not Tony. Ha. Ha. Ha…

"It's wonderful to meet one of Pepper's partners. We usually don't find out about them until she mentions one of her exes in a story," the woman joked.

Tony almost choked on his water. "That's what I'm here about, actually," he wheezed. Maybe. Hopefully not as noticeably as he thought he did. "Would I be able to talk to both you and Mr. Potts?"

"Of course, dear! Dinner will be ready in just a moment, and then we can all have a nice chat."

Tony gulped. "Wonderful." To fill the slightly awkward (or was he just perceiving it as awkward?) silence, he continued, "So, how have you been?"

The group managed to hold more casual idle chatter than Tony expected in his current state. Pepper knew her parents didn't miss it; after all, she'd outright told them why he was coming over for this family dinner. Thankfully, they didn't go out of their way to make it weirder than it had to be. The baby pictures stayed in the closet for today. Maybe. At least until Tony asked.

Eventually, Mr. Potts called out, "Dinner's ready!" The group migrated to the kitchen.

Tony grinned at the assortment of grill dishes: Burgers, chicken, fries, and even a few grilled vegetable kebabs littered the counter. He wasn't expecting this, but he certainly felt more at home. This wasn't a formal dinner; it was a grillout. He could work with this.

After everyone made themselves at home with a beer and a plate of food, Mr. Potts addressed Tony. "Well, son, Pepper says you wanted to ask us something?"

The billionaire glanced at his love interest with a look of utter betrayal. She suddenly became very interested in her chicken.

"Yes, I'd…" He swallowed and hesitated. "I'd like to ask for your permission to court your daughter."

The Potts glanced at each other and grinned. "I think you should ask her," Mrs. Potts responded.

"I'll drink to that," Mr. Potts agreed, raising his beer.

A childish grin covered Tony's face, the kind of grin Pepper only saw when he was truly happy. God, Tony was like a puppy, sometimes. One of the tiny, fluffy ones with lots of energy that loved to cuddle. "Pepper, may I court you?"

She grinned back. "Of course."

Her parents cheered as he delicately kissed Pepper's hand.

"He's so polite," Mrs. Potts murmured, grinning at the cute couple.

"Of course he is," Mr. Potts responded, taking his wife's hand and kissing her as well. "He's nervous, and he loves her. Wait until they start acting like a couple of kindergarteners."

\--

Dinner with the Potts family became a regular event in Tony's life, enough that he avoided scheduling meetings anywhere near their pre-arranged times.

"So, where's Tony?" Mrs. Potts asked one week when Pepper came alone.

"I needed a break," Pepper whispered.

Her parents looked at each other awkwardly. It was clear both parties loved each other, so…

"Why?" Mr. Potts asked.

"Always the subtle one," Mrs. Potts muttered.

Pepper just looked miserably at her plate. "I couldn't take it. I was going crazy with worry. He's a  _ superhero, _ Mom, and he couldn't even trust me to help him… I know he didn't mean to, but in his sleep, he accidentally activated a suit." She chuckled, though it held no happiness. "He barely woke up in time to stop it from killing me."

Both parents hesitated.

"It's not like he doesn't have anyone else. Rhodey knows what he's going through, and he's a superhero, too. He can defend himself. All of the others can. I'm just a person." She pushed a tear out of her face under the pretense of tucking back a loose strand of hair. "I don't think Tony's realized that."

Mr. Potts rested a hand on her arm. "Tony's just a person, too, no matter how much he tries to convince people otherwise."

"I know that!" she snapped.

"Do you?"

Mrs. Potts gently smacked her husband's arm. "We know you know, honey, but maybe he doesn't."

"I still need a break," the youngest Potts grumbled.

"Take some time to think it over," he encouraged, "but don't let your other emotions get in the way of your happiness."  _ And I'll be damned if he doesn't make her happy. _

* * *

 

Pepper found him in the workshop, miserably staring into a bottle of scotch.

"You look like someone just killed your best friend."

Tony looked up. He looked like a kicked puppy in a metal suit. A very sad, very drunk kicked puppy. Maybe a dachshund.

She shook off the thought. Now was not the time to compare Tony to puppies. She tossed the other empty bottles in the trash and sat down next to him, trying to find the manual release.

"Don't," he croaked.

It briefly dawned on her how long it had been since Tony's heavy drinking extended to his private life. Sure, he usually drank himself half to death at the Avengers' afterparties, but he had it under control at home before…

She swallowed. "Tony, are you okay?"

"No," he laughed. "Been a while."

Pepper couldn't tell if he meant it's been a while since she's talked to him about non-company matters or since he'd been okay. She almost didn't want to know. "What's wrong?"

"Everything." He set the bottle down. "And nothing at all."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I… I still love you, Pep. Whether or not you want me to. If push came to shove, together or not, I would do anything for you. But I don't deserve to be able to make that choice. And I can't anymore. I can't protect you anymore, honey-" He bit his tongue. "I shouldn't have called you that. I'm sorry."

"Tony, do you know what I came down here for?"

"To make sure I wasn't drinking my life away in a flashy metal suit?"

She chuckled. "No, but I'd be grateful if you stopped. I came down here to apologize."

"Don't. I had it coming." He chuckled. "Karma."

"Not karma. Just bad timing."

"Karma," the drunk insisted.

"You've atoned for everything you've done hundred of times over. You fix your mistakes when you realize you fuck up. I admire that about you. But… you're only human, no matter how hard you try not to be. It can't be easy for you, but… I want you to be able to trust me."

He met her eyes. "I trust you with my life, Pepper."

"But not with your heart."

"I want to. I don't know how to."

"Open up a bit, Tony. I want to be here for you through thick and thin and all that jazz, but- What's so funny?"

Between quiet chuckles, he whispered, "Ya like jazz?"

"...We were having a moment," Pepper half-scolded, grinning.

"'pologies."

"I can't be there for you if you won't let me. I need to know what's going on. I know you can't tell me everything, and I don't expect you to, but… Could you try to open up a little bit? Please?"

Iron Man looked back at the bottle on the ground.

"At least… Can you tell me when something sets you off and what I can do to help?"

"Don't like the stars," he whispered.

"...I hope you remember this. I'd feel horrible if you didn't."

"I'll remember everything," he muttered. "Last two bottles were replaced with juice."

Pepper pushed herself up and offered a hand. "Probably for a reason."

"He wouldn't do this to Nat." Though she couldn't actually lift both him and the suit, he took her hand and hoisted himself up.

"Nat would actually murder him. You would just face off in matching metal suits and let him kick your ass in all its drunk glory."

Tony laughed. "Fuck, I missed you."

"We need to talk."

"I figured."

"Shut up and get to bed, you doofus."

Once she got him tucked in and turned to leave, he whispered, "Stay."

She hesitated. "I'll be in a guest bedroom, okay?" she compromised.

He hummed in agreement and let himself drift off.

"FRIDAY, please tell me if he has any nightmares."

"Of course, Miss Potts."

* * *

 

The Potts grinned as Pepper and Tony entered together once again.

"Tony! Good to see you!" Mr. Potts greeted, patting him on the back.

"Nice to see you too, Dad," Tony grinned a moment before noticing his slip-up. "Mr. Potts. I meant Mr. Potts."

"Sure you did… son."

He groaned as the father grinned. Luckily, Mrs. Potts decided that was a good moment to step in and announce dinner.

* * *

 

"I haven't asked Pepper yet, but…" The charming, smooth public persona he usually put on even around the Potts family vanished under his nerves. "Would you allow me to ask for her hand in marriage?"

The Potts grinned at each other. "Of course, Tony. What made you think we wouldn't?" Mr. Potts asked.

The billionaire chuckled as a bit of his fear dissipated. "I wasn't afraid of your response so much as I am  _ hers _ ."

"She's quite strong-willed, isn't she?" Mrs. Potts noted, joining Tony's giggles.

"Wouldn't have her any other way. She keeps me in line." He bounced on his heels like an excited child. "I don't deserve her."

"You clearly love her, and that's all we could ever ask of you."

Tony's voice cracked as he declared, "Damn right I love her."

When Pepper went to collect her anxious puppy of a boyfriend, she was surprised to see him sobbing in her parents' arms.

After she thought about it a moment, she wasn't that surprised.

* * *

 

As Peter walked away, Tony thought,  _ No time like the present. _ "Will you marry me?"

Pepper froze. "What?"

"We need a big announcement." He pulled out a ring. "Will you marry me?"

"Why- I- ...Yes."

"Great! Time for the press conference."

" _ Tony. _ "

This time, his grin was genuine as he faced the media.

**Author's Note:**

> why is everyone polyamorous? because i want to Project(TM) my poor polyam love mess onto my fave because damn its hard when your heart is like "I AM OF THE LOVE YOU ALL" and one of the three people you like is like "oh rip" i love these people so muhc pleaese life ijust want to love people
> 
> i was really out of it while writing and i think its at least coherent but please excuse any horrible mistakes


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